Device for servicing fire extinguishers



Sept. 28, 1965 R. J. LOCKE DEVICE FOR SERVICING FIRE EXTINGUISHERS Filed Feb. 28. 1964 ATTOQHEA/ United States Patent 3,208,314 DEVICE FOR SERVICING FIRE EXTINGUISHERS Richard James Locke, 47 Wood Road, Centereach, N.Y. Filed Feb.28, 1964, Ser. No. 348,913 2 Claims. (Cl. 813) (Granted under Title 35, US. Code (1952), sec. 266) The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the Government for governmental purposes without the payment to me of any royalty thereon.

This invention relates to a device for servicing a fire extinguisher and, more particularly, to a device for preventing the rotation of the body of the extinguisher while the extinguisher closure member is being loosened or tightened.

The fire extinguishers to which this invention relates are the commonly encountered soda acid, foam, pressurized water, and stored pressure types. The extinguisher containers to which this invention pertains are cylindrical and are supported by annular flanges with strap bars welded across their inside diameters. The bars serve as handles when the containers are inverted for use. To allow for periodic replacement or recharging of the extinguishing agents, the containers are provided with closure members. A typical closure member is in the form of a hand wheel consisting of a rim connected to the closure by a plurality of spokes.

The closure member is placed very tightly on a charged extinguisher to insure an airtight seal and to prevent tampering with the contents. This original tightness plus the natural corrosion of the closure threads usually makes it difficult to remove the closure for servicing. Prior methods of holding the body of the extinguisher while the closure is removed have been to hold the cylinder between the servicers legs, to have another person hold the cylinder, to remove the cylinder to a shop and clamp it in a vise, or to use a form of brake shoe such as shown in US. Patent 2,799,189. The hand-held method is inefiicient and potentially dangerous in that if the container slips and falls it could begin discharging and result in injuries to the servicer. The use of a vise is also inefficient in that it usually requires removing the cylinder to the shop. Moreover, repeated use of a vise will likely damage the cylinder. The brake shoe method requires adjustment, does not absolutely insure against slippage. and is more complex than my invention.

Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a holding device which will overcome the above disadvantages.

Another object is to provide an effective holder which is easily transportable and simply constructed and which carries in it all the tools necessary to service the fire extinguisher.

Briefly, this invention comprises an elongated platform upon which the container is supported, a raised portion attached to the platform and dimensioned to extend inside the annular flange of the container when the container is placed on the platform, and a slot in the raised portion into which the container strap bar fits when the container is placed over the raised portion. The platform is hinged for folding and has recessed openings in which the closure-removing tools are encased when the platform is folded.

The structural features of the invention are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the servicing device as it is used, with the bottom portion of the extinguisher cylnder cut away to show the interaction of the strap bar and raised portion of the platform.

3,208,314 Patented Sept. 28, 1965 FIG. '2 is a perspective view showing the underside of the servicing device shown in FIG. 1, and showing the folding feature of the device as well as the tool encasing means.

Referring to the drawings, reference numeral 1 designates the holding device generally. The device comprises an elongated stationary platform 2 which is of any suitable width and which is preferably of sufficient length to allow the servicer to stand on the platform, one foot on each side of the extinguisher. The servicers weight prevents rotation of the platform when the closure is turned. Preferably at the mid-point of the platform is raised portion 3 which is attached to the platform by screws 4. In the preferred embodiment, raised portion 3 consists of two blocks which are in the shape of semicircles and dimensioned to the inside diameter of the container flange 5. Slot 6, into which strap bar 7 fits when the container is placed over the raised portion, is dimensioned to accommodate the strap bar and is formed by spacing the two blocks of raised portion 3 so as to leave a gap equal to the width of the strap bar. The platform and raised portion may be of .any suitable material, but if of wood, it is desirable that metal angles line the inner faces of slot 6 to prevent excessive wear.

Platform 2 is preferably hinged at its longitudinal midpoint at slot 6. Hinge 8, fastened to the platform by screws, allows the platform to be folded. This folding feature is desirable in that it makes the platform less awkward to transport by hand and provides for encasement of the tools needed to turn closure member 9.

Handles 10 are attached by screws to the distal ends of platform 2 and form one handle when the platform is folded.

On the inside-folding faces of platform 2 are recessed openings 11 and 12 with closure tool stop nuts 15 and 16. When the platform is folded these openings and the stop nuts form an encasement for closure turning tools 13 and 14-. The tools can thus be conveniently transported with the platform to allow on-site servicing.

In operation, the container flanges are placed over the raised portion of the platform so that the flanges rest on the platform and the strap bar rests in the slot of the raised porion. One of the closure turning bar tools is then inserted between the spokes of the closure wheel and rotated in the desired direction to loosen or tighten the closure. If sufficient force cannot be thus applied, the second bar tool can be used to strike the first, thereby imparting an impulse to the closure. During this operation, the counteraction between the slot and the container strap bar prevents the container from rotating.

I will be understood that various changes of construction and arrangement of parts may be made without departing from the scope of my invention, as set forth in the following claims.

I claim:

1. In the servicing of a fire extinguisher of the type including a cylindrical container having a closure member and an annular supporting flange with a strap bar across the inside diameter of the flange, a device for preventing the rotation of the body of the container while the container closure is being turned, said device comprising a stationary container-supporting platform and a raised open slotted portion rigidly attached to said platform, said platform being hinged for folding on a line coinciding with the slot in said raised slot-ted portion, said raised portion being dimensioned to fit inside the container-supporting flange, and said open slot being dimensioned to receive the container strap bar when said raised portion is inserted inside the container flange.

2. A device as described in claim 1 wherein the contamer-supporting platform is elongated so as to permit the servicer to place his weight on the platform to hold all it stationary and wherein said platform contains recessed openings including stop means to receive the tools needed to turn the closure member, said tools being encased in the platform when the platform is in folded position.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 531,215 12/94 Owen 269-291 Bray 81-332 Tobin 813.32

Cunard 813.32 Mulcay 81-71 Umbdenstock 8171 Goodman 81--3.32

WILLIAM FELDMAN, Primary Examiner.

MICHAEL BALAS, Examiner. 

1. IN THE SERVICING OF A FIRE EXTINGUISHER OF THE TYPE INCLUDING A CYLINDRICAL CONTAINER HAVING A CLOSURE MEMBER AND AN ANNULAR SUPPORTING FLANGE WITH A STRAP BAR ACROSS THE INSIDE DIAMETER OF THE FLANGE, A DEVICE FOR PREVENTING THE ROTATION OF THE BODY F THE CONTAINER WHILE THE CONTAINER CLOSURE IS BEING TURNED, SAID DEVICE COMPRISING A STATIONARY CONTAINER-SUPPORTING PLATFORM AND A RAISED OPEN SLOTTED PORTION RIGIDLY ATTACHED TO SAID PLATFORM, SAID PLATFORM BEING HINGED FOR FOLDING ON A LINE COINCIDING WITH THE SLOT IN SAID RAISED SLOTTED PORTION SAID RAISED PORTION BEING DIMENSIONED TO FIT INSIDE THE CONTAINER-SUPPORTING FLANGE, AND SAID OPEN SLOT BEING DIMENSIONED TO RECEIVE THE CONTAINER STRAP BAR WHEN SAID RAISED PORTION IS INSERTED INSIDE THE CONTAINER FLANGE. 